In early March, Qu Guang reported to the Ba Mansion that his eldest son was ill and needed to go to Xijing to recuperate, so he wanted to take a break to take care of him for twenty years. Bafu had no doubt that he was there, and quickly replied with a letter of agreement and extended the time limit to one month, so that he did not have to worry. After getting the reason, Qu Guang did not dare to delay for a moment. After handing over everything in hand to his clan brother Qu Ying, he immediately changed to six guards to accompany him, and took the self-recommendation letters of Hong Coral and Qu Yi and embarked on this journey. A trip south to Beijing.
Unlike Qu Yi's self-confidence, Qu Guang himself was not optimistic about this trip to seek an official position. This is not because he underestimates Qu Yi's talents. Whether it is about bravery or strategy, Qu Yi has always been the best choice, so whether under Han Fu or Yuan Shao, he will be quickly used. However, Qu Yi had high self-esteem and never had any kindness. He was the most difficult minister to control among the ministers of Ying Yang. Therefore, Han and Yuan quickly secretly guarded against him after using their talents. That's the truth. Therefore, in Qu Guang's view, if the patriarch Qu Yi could obtain a post of great Sima who was as good as the three princes, his merits would be complete, and it would be almost impossible to go further.
However, I thought that I would have the opportunity to meet Sili Colonel Chen Chong this time. I have long heard of this man's good reputation, but I have never had the opportunity to meet him in person. Even if he fails to seek an official position, even if he can bring the two families closer, I think it will be a great good thing for the Xiping Qu family. Thinking about this, Qu Guang didn't feel that this trip was meaningless.
Although it is already late spring, the spring in Kansai is always longer, so along the road in Koguang you can see pear blossoms, azaleas, and peach blossoms in full bloom. They are piled on the trunks and branches like pink velvet snow. It is refreshing everywhere. The fragrance and fragrance aroused his endless appreciation.
But what caught Qu Guang's attention even more was that the farmers in the streets were obviously busier than in previous years. In previous years, the farmers' spring busyness was actually over and they could take a breather. But this year, people are still sowing seeds everywhere. The reason is that the people along the road are carrying out the order to expand their fields. After the township pavilion conveyed the order, many fields that had been abandoned began to be replanted. Although the newly opened fields were not as neat as the original old fields, the farmers also had their own methods. They prepared the land hastily and planted the bean sprouts that were easy to feed. I plan to plant winter wheat after the summer harvest. The long acres were covered with greenery and the wheat was swaying, and even the passers-by felt a kind of budding satisfaction.
This situation made Koko sigh. Even though Toda's order caused a lot of controversy in the country, the busy and lively scenes along the road could not be deceived. I'm afraid that after another two years, the Western Dynasty's national power will greatly increase, and it will only be a matter of time before it completely overwhelms the Eastern Dynasty. This made him more cautious about this meeting. After entering Hedong, he pondered the wording of the interview and arrived in Chang'an before he knew it.
Before arriving in Chang'an, he did not rush to Sili Mansion to seek an audience. Instead, he stayed in the guest house of Yuanjue Temple, and then sat in a wine shop in the city to inquire about the recent rumors in Chang'an, hoping to learn about Chen Chong's preferences. After listening for two days in a row, he found nothing except Chen Chong's new daughter. On the contrary, the people in the capital were also discussing the candidates for the four future governors, which caught his attention. But what is different from Qu Yi's imagination is that everyone thinks that the candidates for the two governors of Xingyang and Jincheng have been decided: the governor of Jincheng must be Duan Xuan, while the governor of Xingyang probably falls on Yuan Tan.
This made Qu Guang quite puzzled. He pretended to be chatting, and occasionally asked the drunken drinkers: "I wonder how the great Sima Qu Gong is doing?"
Unexpectedly, many people showed expressions of ignorance. Only a few people said it was inappropriate and asked why. One of the young people's answer made Qu Guang feel reasonable. He said: "Although Qu Gong is brave and has made great contributions to the country, he is a man who rebelled against two masters in succession. How can the imperial court reuse him like Lu Bu? Of course, talent is only one thing, but the most important thing is Virtue!”
This hit the spot where Qu Guang was worried. He couldn't help but blame Qu Yi secretly, but he still retorted: "You can't say that. Duan Xuan is Dong Zhuo's old subordinate, and Yuan Tan is also Yuan Shao's eldest son. So, the two of them defected to the imperial court. Aren’t you also asking for glory while betraying the Lord?”
The man didn't want to argue with him at all, so he turned away and said briefly: "How can this be compared? Duan and Yuan did not receive orders from the country, they led the people to righteousness on their own, and they did not rebel in the face of great danger. They can be compared with the ancestors Comparable to Dou Rong at that time. How can it be compared with a villain like Qu Yi who stabbed his benefactor in the back after promising benefits?"
After he finished speaking, he drank the rest of the wine and was about to go out and leave. Qu Guang felt deeply that this man was extraordinary, so he quickly stopped him and asked him his name and address. The young man smiled and said: "Brother, do you want to invite me to drink in the future? Then when you go to Taixue, just say my name Huan Fan." Then he left alone.
But Qu Guang returned to the guest room and carefully thought about the pros and cons of meeting Chen Chong. After thinking about it, he slapped his thigh and said to himself: "It is precisely because of the bad reputation of the clan leader that we need to contact Colonel Sili! Do we have to wait until the future, when the country can no longer tolerate the adults?"
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The next day, Qu Guang took Qu Yi's letter and went to Sili's mansion to wait for the summons. Although the restructuring has been going on for more than a year, Sili Mansion is still extremely busy. The task of appointing new officials is coming to an end, but what follows is the new field registers published in various state newspapers, which is extremely inconvenient to organize. In order to have a general understanding of the situation, Chen Chong had to read and check in person from time to time, and rarely had free time to receive guests. .
When Qu Guang saw Sili Mansion for the first time, he saw that the guards here were solemn and solemn, and there were as many officials coming and going as carps, but they were orderly and not chaotic at all. He couldn't help but secretly thought: Jinyang Ba Mansion is completely incomparable. !
Immediately afterwards, he informed the guard of his identity and purpose, and asked how to meet Chen Shijun. The guard asked him: "Is it an urgent matter?" Qu Guang shook his head and said: "It's not important, but it's still important to be entrusted by Da Sima." The guard asked him to wait, and after a while, he He was given a house number, asked to write down his identity and address in the side office, and then returned to Yuanjue Temple to continue waiting for the messenger's summons.
With his status, it was not easy to ask for an audience with Chen Chong, but fortunately, Qu Yi's identity was indeed important. After waiting for about two days, he obtained permission to enter the Sili Mansion to meet Chen Chong.
After covering the red coral cloth with a cloth and entering Chen Chong's lakeside house, Qu Guang was shocked when he saw that Chen Chong was simply dressed in simple clothes and had no expensive ornaments in the house. He was undecided about giving gifts for a while. But Chen Chong didn't know why. He just took Qu Guang's house number and asked him suspiciously: "Da Sima sent you to the capital. What do you want to tell me about?"
Qu Guang was frightened for a moment and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, your Majesty sent me here on my own recommendation." After that, he took out the autographed letter from Qu Yi that was warm in his arms and said: "I heard that the army The government is undergoing restructuring, and your Excellency is eager to serve the country, so you want me to ask the envoy if there is any chance?"
Chen Chong was stunned when he heard this, and then he realized that Qu Yi was here to seek an official position. Looking at the thing covered behind Qu Guang's back, he guessed that it was probably some expensive gift. Although his expression remained unchanged, he was very tired in his heart. He took Qu Yi's letter of recommendation, read it carefully, then carefully considered the words and asked: "Before coming, did Grand Sima give you any advice?"
Qu Guangxin said, you can't say you're here to give a gift, right? So I cleared my throat and quickly said what I had written before. The general idea is that there has been chaos in the Eastern Dynasty in the past two years, and people's hearts are uncertain. This is a good opportunity to neutralize Dong's thieves, and a good general who knows the personnel of the Eastern Dynasty is needed to come forward. Then he talked about some of Qu Yi's suggestions and considerations for building an army. For example, it was difficult to train archers in a short time, so it was better to focus on heavy crossbows to defend the enemy. After all the words were said, many of them were indeed very reasonable and seemed to be public-minded.
When Chen Chong heard this, he only asked indifferently: "Have you ever said these words to the general?"
Qu Guang smiled bitterly and said: "The general is certainly clear-minded, but he is still a bit biased in employing people. Your Excellency thinks that the envoy is the most selfless, so he ordered me to come. If the envoy does not agree, then I will be convinced."
When Chen Chong heard this, he immediately understood the situation. It seemed that Qu Yi was determined to win the post of governor, and after hitting a wall with Xuande, he wanted to give it a try himself. But in fact, Liu Bei just has a strong temper. Even if it is a tit-for-tat confrontation, as long as he doesn't speak arrogantly like Mi Heng, Liu Bei can actually tolerate it. But Qu Yi didn't want to say anything to him. He was so eager to seek an official position that he couldn't wait any longer.
However, with such a mentality, he could not become a general in any case. But if he refused in person, Qu Yi might be dissatisfied and cause some trouble. Chen Chong thought for a while, and after seeing Qu Guang's anxious look, an idea came to his mind.
When Qu Guang saw Chen Chong handing him a cup of tea, he felt flattered. He heard Chen Chong slowly say: "The Great Sima is very brave, but he is not very familiar with his colleagues. It is not appropriate for him to serve as the governor."
Just as Qu Guang's mind sank, he heard Chen Chong continue to say: "But it is indeed my fault for letting Grand Sima stay in the border area and lead only one division. Well, Lord Shentu just left his post not long ago, and the Taiwei The position is vacant. I am worried that there is no candidate. Since Da Sima intends to recommend himself, I will transfer him back to Xijing. How about becoming a Taiwei? "
Hearing this, Qu Guang was both happy and hesitant at the same time, and asked, "I heard that Duke Shentu's lieutenant was just serving a false position..."
Chen Chong waved his hand and said: "Shentu Gong is a hermit and not an ordinary person. Just tell Da Sima and I will transfer him to the capital to be my deputy."
Qu Guang was immediately overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly. At the end, Chen Chong pointed to the red coral covered with cloth behind him and asked, "But I don't know what this is?"
Qu Guang said quickly: "This is a gift that I wanted to give to you when I heard that your Majesty has a new daughter. However, when I came here, I heard that your Majesty was honest, so I may not be in line with Your Majesty's wishes."
Chen Chong smiled and said: "It doesn't look cheap! How can my little daughter afford it? Let's do this. You can hand him over to Chen Qun and Chen Shangshu at the Shangshu Desk, and let him be handed over to His Majesty. It can be regarded as a small favor from the Grand Sima. "
After saying that, he sent Qu Guang out personally. Qu Guang walked to the door and saw a dozen warriors in armor and swords standing or standing in the corridor full of crabapple flowers. They all turned to look at him. Qu Guang hurriedly hugged the priceless red coral, lowered his head and walked out along the corridor.
